UNICEF facilitates Global Course on Mental Health Support for Children and Caregivers in Turkmenistan
Completes the six weeks of intensive learning of «Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for Children and Caregivers in Adversity», a global course, launched by UNICEF. With the increased demand in professional help, this training enables the frontline workers from different fields to provide mental health and well-being support to children and caregivers, including in cases of gender-based violence (GBV).
In Turkmenistan, over 200 specialists took part in this training. These included social workers, schoolteachers, specialists from rehabilitation centers, family doctors, students and teachers of psychology and social sciences from Turkmen State University named after Magtymguly and Turkmen State Pedagogical Institute named after Seyitnazar Seydi, representatiýes of the Ministries of Labor and Social Protection, Education, and Health and Medical Industry.
The course, beneficial for both emergency and regular situations, was structured into six weekly modules. The modules covered essential topics such as the basic concepts and importance of mental health support, child development and psychosocial wellbeing, supporting caregivers, community-based mental health and psychosocial support, self-care for frontline workers, and the intersection of gender-based violence (GBV) and MHPSS.
Participants learned practical skills like identifying and addressing mental health needs, providing emotional support, and starting community-based mental health programs. The GBV module helped ensure that they obtained additional competencies to strengthen their understanding of gender sensitive support services in their communities.
Participants noted that thanks to the training they were able to get valuable and practical tools for providing psycho-social support in day-to-day work.
This cohort of the global course united professionals from Turkmenistan with their peers in Kazakhstan, creating a valuable opportunity to share ideas, knowledge, and best practices.
The goal of this initiative is to make sure children and caregivers get the mental health support they need, creating a strong and supportive community.
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